In a shocking development, a New York Court of Appeals struck down the 2020 rape conviction against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on Thursday and ordered a new trial on the matter. The 4-3 decision came down after the court found that the trial judge in his case allowed the prosecution to call several women who alleged Weinstein assaulted them, but the women and their allegations were not part of the charges that were brought against Weinstein.
The disgraced former Hollywood producer was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison after being convicted in the landmark trial that sparked the #MeToo movement. His conviction for forcing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and the third-degree rape of hairstylist Jessica Mann in 2013 sent shockwaves through Hollywood, where Weinstein was considered a “gatekeeper” for television and film projects. Several prominent figures in Hollywood, including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, immediately cut ties with him after he was charged.
Weinstein was the co-founder of Miramax and later founded The Weinstein Company, both companies being responsible for dozens of award-winning movie projects in Hollywood. After being hit with over 80 accusations of rape, and other sexual assaults from women across the industry, Weinstein was one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, figure in the #MeToo movement that spurred countless other women to come forward and accuse men of sexual crimes across all industries, not just Hollywood.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
